The Migrants in Countries in Crisis (MICIC) Initiative was established following the 2nd UN High-Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development (October 2013, New York). It is designed to further enhance the ability of states and other relevant stakeholders to prepare, respond and protect the rights and dignity of migrants caught in countries experiencing acute crisis. Through a process of broad and inclusive consultations, this state-led initiative specifically aims to produce a set of voluntary, non-binding guidelines which will define their roles and responsibilities as well as identify effective practices and measures that can be taken to assist migrants.

The governments of the Philippines and the United States co-chair the MICIC working group which is composed of their counterparts in Australia, Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Ethiopia and European Commission. Other participating institutions with experiences on the issues and concerns of migrants include: the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Office of the UN Special Representative of the Secretary General for International Migration Peter Sutherland, and the Georgetown University – Institute for the Study of International Migration.

The focal points of the Philippines in the MICIC working group are representatives from the Commission on FIlipinos Overseas (CFO), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) – Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (OUMWA) and Office of United Nations and Other International Organization (UNIO), the Philippine Permanent Mission to the United Nations – Geneva, and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).